I believe most of the good programs are already written. We know all about muscle qualities, reps ranges, tempos, volume, frequency and rest between sets. And when we talk about pure strength (on a safe side), we try to move heavyweight (between 80 and 85% of 1RM) for 3 – 5 reps, in about 5 – 8 sets per workout, for 25 reps total. 

Within that range, we have a few schemes that work, and once we tried them all, it comes down to adaptation. We don't want our body to adapt to any stimulus for too long, because once it adopts to certain stress, it stops growing bigger and stronger. In this article, we will introduce two of the most efficient programs that are proven to work well, and I will present my version that works well for my clients. 

Two of my favourite and proven schemes are one from Doug Hepburn and the 5x5 scheme by Bill Starr. They both promise strength improvement and growth, if we go hard enough three to four times per week and if we have two phases, the power phase and pump phase in the same workout. 
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The Doug Hepburn Method

‍Dough Hepburn developed one of my favourite scheme for developing strength. Doug was a Canadian Strongman and weightlifter, what people would call »old-time strong«. He won weightlifting gold medals in the 1953 World Weightlifting Championships as well as the 1954 British Empire Games in the heavyweight division. He is further recognized as the first man to bench press 400, 450, and 500 pounds (raw). Besides being extremely strong, he was also HUGE! 

His training plan was simple and to the point. He performed every workout twice a week, meaning he would perform each big lift twice a week. For experienced natural lifters, doing a total of four workouts per week, using a split routine can be a good starting point. His workout normally consisted of two phases, power phase and pump phase. The goal of the program was to progress ONE REP PER WORKOUT! Yes, ONE REP only! Let us see how this works.
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The Power Phase‍

In the first part of the workout, we have eight sets of 2 reps using around 80% of 1 rep max, and then he would add one rep on every set until he reached eight sets of 3. 

Example of the power phase rep scheme progression for four weeks, doing the big lifts twice per week:

1. Workout: 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,3

2. Workout 2,2,2,2,2,2,3,3

3. Workout 2,2,2,2,2,3,3,3

4. Workout 2,2,2,2,3,3,3,3

5. Workout 2,2,2,3,3,3,3,3

6. Workout 2,2,3,3,3,3,3,3

7. Workout 2,3,3,3,3,3,3,3

8. Workout 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3

As you can see, the volume comes from 17 reps total to 24 reps total. This approach is not optimal for a person who is very dopamine dominant as there is not much variety here. It's not that they will not see results; it's the motivational factor that will be the main obstacle in this case. 

The Pump Phase

In the second part of the workout, Doug played perfectly with another important adaptation that got him big and strong. There is a muscle quality called functional hypertrophy. It got its name because the weight you move is still heavy enough to stimulate CNS, and TUT is long enough to provoke protein synthesis. Doug nailed this by starting the second part of the workout with three sets of 6 using around 20% less weight than in the power phase, and was adding one rep until he reached three sets of 8. 

Example of the rep scheme progression for the pump phase for four weeks:

1. Workout 6,6,6

2. Workout 6,6,7

3. Workout 6,7,7

4. Workout 7,7,7

5. Workout 7,7,8

6. Workout 7,8,8

7. Workout 8,8,8

When we combine the two, we get 17 + 18 reps in the first workout (35 reps), and we come to 23 + 24 reps (47) in the last one. When Dough completed the 8/8/8 rep scheme, he would increase the weight on the bar by 10kg and would go back to 6/6/6 rep scheme. Now, that would work perfect for someone more earth time personality. 

Example of Dughs original weekly plan:

Monday and Thursday

A. Back Squat @80% of 1RM, 8 sets x 3 reps

B. Bench Press @80% of 1RM, 8 sets x 3 reps

*rest 5-7 minutes

C. Back Squat @60% of 1RM, 3 sets x6 reps

D. Bench Press @60% of 1RM, 3 sets x6 reps

Tuesday and Friday

A. Conventional Deadlift @80% of 1RM, 8 sets x 3 reps

B. Barbell Press @80% of 1RM, 8 sets x 3 reps

*rest 5-7 minutes

C. Conventional Deadlift @60% of 1RM, 3 sets x6 reps

D. Barbell Press @60% of 1RM, 3 sets x6 reps

The Bill Starr 5x5 Method

On the south side of Niagara river, Bill Starr who is a famous football coach, wrote probably on of the most influential book on the subject of strength training for sport: The Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football. Since then, endless variations were written on the method described in his book (one of them also mine), and of course for a good reason: it is possibly the best strength routine ever written. He was the one that popularized the 5x5 method. It is a straight forward approach to building strength, using three basic lifts, three times a week (heavy day / light day and medium day). 

Bill Starr original plan looked moderately like this: 

Monday - Heavy

A. Power cleans - 5 sets x 5 reps

B. Bench press - 5 sets x 5 reps, 1x10 weight from 3rd set (add 10 reps sets after 8-12 weeks on the program)

C. Squats - 5 sets x 5 reps, 1x10 weight from 3rd set (set 1 - 35% of target, set 2 - 70% of target, set 3 - 80% of target, set 4 - 90% of target set 5 target)

Wednesday - Light

A. Power cleans - 5 sets x 5 reps

B. Incline Bench - 5 sets x 5 reps, 1x10 weight from 3rd set

C. Squats - 5 sets x 5 reps, 1x10 weight from 3rd set

*for set 5 on squats, use weight from 3rd set of Monday

Friday - Medium

A. Power cleans - 5 sets x 5 reps

B. Overhead press - 5 sets x 5 reps, 1x10 weight from 3rd set

C. Squats - 5 sets x 5 reps, 1x10 weight from 3rd set

*for set 5 use weight from 3rd set of Monday, for set 5 use weight 4th set of Monday

As we can see that the volume stays the same throughout the plan, but the intensity varies from day-to-day. For regular people and also for professional athletes involved in team sports, performing three extremely heavy workouts each week could quickly be too much. Suppose someone can't recover from this weekly volume. In that case, they will probably try to reduce the intensity, and the method will not be efficient anymore. Here, light or even medium-heavy won't work. It would be best if you went heavy, and I will show you how you can tweak the method in the next chapter. 

Without a fraction of a doubt, those two programs are going to work, and they are going to work BIG TIME! Of course you can rotate them, but at some point either your body or your mind will have enough. You won't be able to progress any more, or you will hate the same number of sets and reps over and over again. At least I did. So the Dough to Bill method was born. 

From Hapburn To Starr Hybrid Method 

Me, lately being a very Wood type person (don't worry, Fire is still burning strong), I had to create something new. When I say new, it's just playing with numbers a little, obeying all the muscular development principles being used in Hapburn's and Starr's methods. 

Nowadays, I find many athletes hard to follow a plan for over four weeks, and if they do, that is probably it, they won't do it again. Being a coach to pro volleyball team and national handball team (among others), I have to keep my athletes fresh, but also activated and motivated to follow the plan, that's why variety is important. That's why I have created a list of three-week training plans, and I use different methods which I have tested and are proven to work if you follow them consistently. I use mechanical 5x5, adjusted Smolov method, for example, plus of course the original variations of every method and program. This way, I can keep my athletes and clients engaged and prepared throughout the season. 

In my hybrid method, using Dough's and Bill's approach, I reduced the workouts to two times per week. The volume doesn't change much, which is very good during the season, where many games are played. I tried to keep intensity relatively high, and volume relatively low. Each workout consists of a power and pump phase. Just like Dough's workouts are. Number of lifts is about 25 per workout on the power phase. I use "pump phase" as assistance or "injury prevention" (I don't like that expression, since I don't think such thing as injury prevention exists). For the pump phase, I use unilateral lifts, and usually those which shows to be the furthest away from a "strength ratio standards" (those change every cycle, if you apply them correctly). Progression from workout to workout happens through an increasing number of reps per set - the number of sets goes down each workout, of course. We know that with each additional rep, we are 2-4% closer to 100% (or 1RM). With two extra reps, we stress the nervous system more further by 4-8%, which is not so small, but neither not too much for in-season athlete.

Another positive side of this hybrid method is that the weight on the bar remains the same throughout the plan. You see, training pro athletes in a group setting (and, I am not talking about NBA, NHL or NFL in the USA, neither Barcelona or Real Madrid in Europe, where each player has its gym), gets the coach looking for different solutions. Same goes for small or medium size performance gyms, where you have a limited amount of space and equipment. So you need to make it simple. It's better to stick to the basics and keep them focused on good form and execution of the movements. If the weights stay the same, some athletes might think that the plan is not progressive. But as mentioned above, with every added rep to a set, the intensity goes up. And they will see the progress. 

After finishing the whole plan, you can retest the main lifts. If done correctly and if nutrition, stress management and sleep are on point, the PR's will go up. Athletes will see the results and will be motivated for repeating the program with needed adjustments. Here is the overview of the plan:

The Power Phase

Workout 1 (24 reps total):

·  8 sets x 3 reps

Workout 2( 24 reps total):

- 4 sets x 3 reps 

- 3 sets x 4 reps 

Workout 3 (24 reps total):

- 3 sets x 3 reps

- 4 sets x 4 reps

Workout 4 (24 reps total):

- 2 sets x 3 reps

- 2 sets x 4 reps

- 2 sets x 5 reps

Workout 5 (27 reps total):

- 3 sets x 4 reps 

- 3 sets x 5 reps

Workout 6 (25 reps total):

- 5 sets x 5 reps

As you can see, its smooth transition from 8x3 to 5x5 rep scheme. We start the plan using the Hepburn's method, and we finish with Starr's method. The secret is that the weight should stay the same throughout the plan. Athletes must build confidence, lifting a certain weight, they need to get their core stronger and the most important thing, it is simple. 

After completing three weeks, take one week for deload, and maybe retest the main lifts. You can also change the variation of the main lifts. For example, flat bench press with incline press or military press, back squat with front squat or safety bar squat.

The Pump Phase

Pump Phase is built of unilateral exercises, starting with two sets before the power phase (warming up and activation), and two sets after power set (correction and volume building purpose). 

Example of the tow workouts for week one: 

Monday

Pump Phase Part 1

A. 1 Leg Deadlift 2 x 8 reps per leg

B. Trap 3 Raise 2 x 8 reps per arm

Power Phase

A. Power Clean 10 x 2 @ 75% EMOM (mostly used as an activation)

B. Squat 8 x 3 @ 80% 1RM

C. Bench Press 8 x 3 @ 80% 1RM

Pump Phase Part 2

C. 1 Leg Deadlift 2 x 8 reps per leg

D. Trap 3 Raise 2 x 8 reps per arm

Thursday

Pump Phase Part 1

A. 1 Leg Deadlift 2 x 8 reps per leg

B. Trap 3 Raise 2 x 8 reps per arm

Power Phase

A.Power Snatch 3 x 3 @ 75% (mostly used as an activation)

B. Squat 4 x 3 @ 80% 1RM

C. Bench Press 4 x 3 @ 80% 1RM

Pump Phase Part 2

5. 1 Leg Deadlift 2 x 8 reps per leg

6. Trap 3 Raise 2 x 8 reps per arm

It is very important to check the priorities after the plan. If you addressed the weakest link correctly for three weeks, I bet one thing: that link won't be the weakest any more. But, another thing will show, another muscle will become the weakest link in strength ratio. Addressing those muscles means different corrective exercises. And, changing corrective (assistance, prevention) exercises is what will make one cycle different from the next.

Important note: This plan works in season only if there are no expected hard games on the weekend. Otherwise, the coach can expend that plan to 6 weeks, doing these workouts only on Monday and about 60% of volume on Thursday. 

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